Been Offered a PC with no HD

prowla

There are freebie utilities to list the keys of software on the PC (Windows, office, etc.), so that you could install again from scratch onto a new HD. I've used one called ProduKey, that just runs as a standalone (eg. from a memory stick) so doesn't need to be installed.
You should still get the original COAs though...

JJ_Egan

There are freebie utilities to list the keys of software on the PC

Stop > No HARD DRIVE or user has wiped the drive .<

jje

martindow

Thank you for all of the responses. The person offering has now decided they are going to keep it and install Ubuntu to have a play. This will please Fenlander!

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply to this discussion.

AndysDad

kwikbreaks wrote: »

There is another clue though - "given away". I'd bet on it being an old P4 or worse that is worth less than a disk would cost and certainly less than a disk + XP CD.

Destroying the disk may be secure but it's probably turned something of low value into something of zero value to somebody with no access to freebie spares and old windows install disks.

OTOH I could be completely wrong of course.

Whats wrong with a P4....Thousands of computers out there using P4's.More than adequate for most run of the mill applications.

prowla

JJ_Egan wrote: »

There are freebie utilities to list the keys of software on the PC

Stop > No HARD DRIVE or user has wiped the drive .<

jje

If you had read the thread, you would have seen that the OP said "wants to destroy the HD", implying that the original owner offering it for nothing still had the hard drive (presumably not yet removed from the machine, as otherwise there would have been no need to mention it at all), therefore keys could have been obtained before its removal/destruction/reformatting.

(But it's moot anyway, as they're keeping it now.)

kwikbreaks

AndysDad wrote: »

Whats wrong with a P4....Thousands of computers out there using P4's.More than adequate for most run of the mill applications.

P4's can be OK but they can also be picked up with fully working windows for about £50 which is what it would likely cost somebody who has to ask for advice here for a disk drive. Then he has to work out some way of reinstalling windows if that is what he wants. An old machine with no disk drive is pretty much worthless unless you have access to your own PC junkyard as a source of spares.